From George Washington to the United States Senate and House of Representatives, 7 January 1794
To the United States Senate and House of Representatives
United States January 7. 1794.
Gentlemen of the Senate, and of the House of Representatives.
Experience has shewn that it would be useful to have an Officer particularly charged, under the direction of the Department of War, with the duties of receiving, safe keeping and distributing the public supplies, in all cases in which the Laws and the course of service do not devolve them upon other officers; and also with that of superintending in all cases, the issues in detail of supplies, with power, for that purpose, to bring to account all persons entrusted1 to make such issues, in relation thereto. An establishment of this nature, by securing a regular and punctual accountability for the issues of public supplies, would be a great guard against abuse, would tend to ensure their due application, and to give public satisfaction on that point.2
I therefore recommend to the consideration of Congress, the expediency of an establishment of this nature under such regulations as shall appear to them adviseable.3
Go: Washington
LS, DNA: RG 46, Third Congress, 1793–95, Senate Records of Legislative Proceedings—President’s Messages; LB, DLC:GW; LB (fragment), DNA: RG 233, Third Congress, 1793–95, House Records of Legislative Proceedings, Journals.
1. The letter-book copy at DNA: RG 233 ends at this point.
2. Henry Knox, Alexander Hamilton, and Edmund Randolph previously had recommended to GW that this position should be created (Knox to GW, 4 Jan. 1794, and n.1 to that document).
3. Section 3 of “An Act to provide for the erecting and repairing of Arsenals and Magazines, and for other purposes,” 2 April 1794, established this position. This officer would receive a salary of $125 per month, be appointed by the president, and work under the direction of the secretary of war (. 1:352). GW nominated Tench Francis, Jr., as the first “Purveyor of Public Supplies” on 24 Feb. 1795, and the Senate approved the nomination on the following date (, 173–74). Francis (1730–1800) was a Philadelphia merchant and the first cashier of the Bank of North America. Previous to this appointment, he also served as an agent for purchasing supplies for the War Department (see Report on an Account of Receipts and Expenditures of the United States for the Year 1793, 26 Dec. 1794, , 17:520).